Startup stories tend to glorify the ramen-eating entrepreneurs who have “no time” to exercise and get no more 4 hours of sleep every night. This sort of glorification runs under the assumption that time spent working is positively correlated to the success of the company…

That is B.S.

The reality is closer to this:

Where productivity is:

The ramen-eating entrepreneurs defend sleep deprivation and poor health with the hackneyed line:

“I have no time.”

This is a shitty excuse.

Yes, you need to spend time to get results for your company. But your productivity is subject to exponential decay over time. The more time you spend continuously working, the more your productivity wanes.

Furthermore, if you’re in poor health and sleep deprived, your productivity will just suck. Period.

So if the sheer awesomeness of being healthy is not enough to convince you to be healthy, then realize this: when you sacrifice your own health, you also sacrifice the health of your company.

Take an hour a day to completely unwind

An hour of Instagram cruising is not a real break. An hour of Tinder swiping is not a real break. Neither is Facebook stalking your ex. Take an hour a day to fully disconnect.

Go for a run. Do some yoga. Go biking. Do activities that help ease distractibility, irritability, the tension on your shoulders, and the tension in your mind. Exorcise all that mental clutter.

Eat well

Food is meant to energize you, not drain you. If you feel drowsy after you eat, you’re eating the wrong food. If you eat shit, you’ll end up feeling like shit. Crappy food affects your mood more than you could imagine. Cut out as much crap as possible–sugar, gluten, processed foods… etc. Your mind, body, and company will thank you.

Take care of your mental health

Understand yourself and be self-aware. If you suffer from mental illness, then you need to take extra precautions to make sure it doesn’t affect your company.

Don’t be afraid of social stigma. A bunch of notable entrepreneurs have all spoken out about their struggles and advice for staying healthy on EntrepreneurialDepression.com.

tl;dr by Evan Williams:

When you don’t sleep, eat crap, don’t exercise, and are living off adrenaline for too long, your performance suffers. Your decisions suffer. Your company suffers.